Rush Street drops Millbury slots plan

MILLBURY — A plan to build a $200 million slots gaming emporium off Route 146 has collapsed as Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming pulled out of the deal Friday.

"We think Millbury is a great community, and we were impressed with the professionalism of the town officials and the enthusiasm we were welcomed with by so many," said Neil Bluhm, chairman of Mass Gaming & Entertainment and Rush Street Gaming in an emailed statement.

"We spent a lot of time in Millbury, and recently it became clear to us that a majority of residents do not support a casino. As we continued our outreach, we decided that for this particular project, we should move forward only if community support was overwhelming. It is not our style to campaign aggressively and win a referendum narrowly. We prefer to join together with our host community and build something collaboratively."

The company abandoned a similar proposal in Worcester earlier this year.

Three sources close to the failed deal said a recent poll commissioned by Rush Street showed only a small majority of support for the slots parlor.

Opposition to the slots plan in town also grew quickly since Rush Street earlier this summer unveiled plans for the facility which was to feature 1,250 slot machines.

By comparison, some communities have endorsed similar plans overwhelmingly.

Raynham residents voted 1,822 to 290 Aug. 13 to back a $220 million slots complex at a former dog track, and voters in Everett supported a full-fledged casino in a June 20 referendum with 87 percent of the more than 6,000 who went to the polls voting yes.

Is is unclear now if Millbury's slots referendum, scheduled for Sept. 24, will be canceled.

Meanwhile, a referendum on a slots proposal by the Baltimore-based Cordish Companies in Leominster, the only other such plan in Central Massachusetts, is also set for Sept. 24.

Also Friday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted to let Plainville proceed with a referendum on Tuesday for a slots parlor at the Plainridge Racecourse, which is in a deal to be bought by Penn National Gaming. Tewsksbury voters last month rejected a slots proposal in that communtiy by Penn National.

Contact Shaun Sutner at ssutner@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @ssutner.